A professionally organised funeral will pass without problems, the deceased looked after with dignity, their final wishes respected and friends and family left with a warm, lasting memory of their loved one. All the thought and work that has gone into arranging the ceremony, from the forms that were filled in to choosing hymns and flowers, should fade into the background and be replaced by the calm memory of a day well done.
But the funeral is rarely the final task for the funeral director and once the service has taken place, they will continue to help take care of any remaining requirements.
As well as placing announcements about the death, time and venue of the funeral service, the funeral director can also place acknowledgement notices in the local press and may provide thank you cards for friends and relatives who attended the service.
The funeral director can also store the ashes from the cremation, collecting them from the crematorium and keeping them secure until the family has decided where and when they wish to scatter them or if they would like to keep them. Funeral directors can also provide suitable containers for transporting ashes to be scattered or alternatively memorial caskets.
Memorials give people a place to go to remember their loved ones who have passed away and just like the funeral service, it is important to reflect their character and personality in your choice. However, there are regulations regarding the makeup of memorials, from size and materials to lettering and wording. Your funeral director can offer support and advice, from placing a memorial casket in a garden of remembrance or, if the deceased is buried, choosing a suitable memorial headstone.
It is more and more common for families to be spread throughout the country, or even throughout the world. Where not all friends and family are able to attend the funeral service, your funeral director can also help arrange a memorial service.
Golden Charter has the largest network of independent funeral directors in the UK, giving you the widest possible choice. Many of the funeral directors we work with are longstanding family-run businesses providing a compassionate and professional service, earning a trusted place in their local communities. For more information on arranging a funeral plan with Golden Charter that lets you choose from 3,300 independent funeral directors across the country, visit our Compare our funeral plans page or call 0808 169 4534.
